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Published 23:57 IST, December 15th 2024 PM Modi Asks States To Focus On Startup Growth, Compliance Simplification, Obesity Control New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked states to work towards providing an environment where start-ups can flourish, simplify the compliances that often lead to harassment of citizens and take obesity as a big challenge. Addressing the fourth national conference of chief secretaries here, he said states should reform governance model in such a way that encourages citizen participation, according to an official statement. Modi said it is important to focus on reform, perform, and transform, and that it is also important to inform people about various initiatives of the government. In the health sector, he urged the participants that obesity should be taken as a big challenge in the country. Only a fit and healthy India can be a 'Viksit Bharat', he added. The prime minister said India can be made tuberculosis-free by the end of 2025, and that ASHA and Anganwadi workers can play a big role in delivering this goal. Asserting that old manuscripts were India's treasure, he said states should take steps to use technology to digitize it. He said a great benefit of the conference was that "Team India" had come together for discussion with an open mind and work together for a 'Viksit Bharat'. Pro-People Pro-active Good Governance (P2G2) is at the core of their work through which they can together achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat, he added. The conference included discussions around the overarching theme of 'Promoting Entrepreneurship, Employment and Skilling -- Leveraging the Demographic Dividend'. Lauding the advent of start-ups, especially in tier-2 and 3 cities, the prime minister asked states to encourage such innovations and work towards providing an environment where start-ups can flourish. "He urged states to identify locations suitable for entrepreneurs in smaller cities and take initiative to connect them with the banking system, provide logistics and facilitate them," the statement said. Modi asked states to explore concepts of Viability Gap Funding for recycling of e-waste. This is particularly important as with increasing data and technology driven society, digital waste will further increase, he said. While appreciating that PM GatiShakti has been a key enabler for good governance, he also said that the initiative must be regularly updated and indicators for environmental impacts, disaster prone areas should be included in it. Talking about Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, he said that competent officers posted in these blocks and districts can bring about massive changes at the ground level. It would also lead to immense socio-economic benefits, he added. Modi also encouraged officials to work for human resources development in order to develop cities as centres of economic growth. He emphasized on developing institutions for specialization in urban governance, water and environment management. With increasing urban mobility, he stressed on providing adequate urban accommodation which would in turn lead to better productivity in the manufacturing sector in new industrial hubs. Noting that it was the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Modi lauded him as an inspiration for all civil servants and said that everyone should work towards achieving his dream of India. As men, women and children from all walks of life participated in the freedom struggle despite their different circumstances, ideological differences and different means, similarly every Indian must work towards making Viksit Bharat by 2047, he said. The three-day conference, which ended on Sunday, emphasised on special themes that included manufacturing, services, rural non-farm sector, urban, renewable energy, and circular economy. Various sessions during the conference deliberated to work around subjects which would help in collaborative action in promoting entrepreneurship, enhancing skilling initiatives, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for both rural and urban populations thereby helping in the transition of India from middle income to high income country. These initiatives can emerge as the driving wheels for the economy with women-led development as the foundation, the statement said. The participants discussed that a multifaceted approach is required to harness the potential of India's service sector, especially in smaller cities, it said. This involves a combination of policy interventions, infrastructure development, skill enhancement, and a focus on creating a business-friendly environment, the statement added. Emphasis on skilling and formalization of the informal sector was also discussed. Similarly in the rural non-farm sector, it was discussed that rural entrepreneurship should be promoted through specific skilling courses. It was also felt that women and marginalized groups' participation in non-farm employment should also be encouraged through special incentives, the statement said. The conference had a special session on frontier technologies representing convergence of various fields which can help in providing solutions to global challenges. It also could provide India an opportunity to lead in this arena and have a trajectory of inclusive and sustainable growth, the statement said. The conference was attended by chief secretaries, senior officials of all states and Union territories, domain experts and senior officers in the Centre, it said. Get Current Updates on India News , Entertainment News along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world. Updated 23:57 IST, December 15th 2024
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Republican lawmakers in Connecticut Sunday called for more law enforcement resources to be dedicated to the state and the northeast region “to investigate unmanned aircraft.” The call came two days after a Republican Connecticut state senator Friday declared reports of sightings of possible unauthorized drones over Fairfield as “ very unsettling to public safety and security , both here in Fairfield and elsewhere” and a federal lawmaker called for an FAA briefing on the issue. It also came as reports of sightings mounted across the northeast region of the country, including in Massachusetts. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights, the Associated Press reported. Republican lawmakers Sen. Paul Cicarella, Sen. Tony Hwang, Sen. Jeff Gordon and Sen. Stephen Harding said in a joint Sunday statement, “This unsettling drone activity is becoming increasingly more widespread. In Fairfield. On the CT-MA border. This situation clearly merits urgency. The public is alarmed.” “We must ensure the safety of the northeastern U.S.’s infrastructure and our residents. That requires transparency and frequent communication,” they said. Multiple federal agencies have said they do not see any threat to national security or public safety. The reports arose of drones being seen in Fairfield last week, including with people in the area sharing videos on social media, with commentary. “What the heck....there is one, two, three right here,” a user posted on X, noting her husband has a drone and they don’t fly “this far and this quiet.” “This is weird to say but it was like they were disguised as planes. Even filming this video as it got closer to me i go “oh wait thats a plane” and stop filming, but then i realized I don’t live near an airport and this thing was low!,” she wrote on X. A request for comment was sent to a spokesperson for the governor’s office. The state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection also is closely monitoring recent reports of drone activity in Connecticut, according to Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins. He said Friday that he directed the Connecticut State Police and the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to investigate any unusual reports of larger drones flying at night. “We understand that people are anxious and they want to know what’s going on,” Higgins said Friday. “After the reports out of New Jersey and other states, we want to assure Connecticut residents that we are fully engaged, and we take reports of suspicious sightings seriously. As is our practice in Connecticut, we are working with our local, state and federal partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Transportation Safety Administration.” Higgins noted the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a joint statement stating that they “have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have foreign a nexus. The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.” “It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space,’’ the joint DHS/FBI statement said. The GOP lawmakers said Sunday that “President Biden and Congress must direct additional federal law enforcement resources to CT and the surrounding region. “Local and state law enforcement already have limited resources,” the lawmakers said. “They are struggling to add drone enforcement to all of their existing duties. We need more federal support to help our state and local authorities.” Hwang, R-Fairfield, former chairman of the Public Safety & Security Committee had said on Friday that he agrees with U.S. Sen. Blumenthal, “who advocates for shooting drones down, if necessary, to get answers and accountability.” Hwang also then noted that the Pentagon “says any action taken against drones is a decision for local law enforcement. As state legislators, we must support that.” Blumenthal had called for mysterious drones spotted flying over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region to be “shot down, if necessary,” even as it remains unclear who owns them. “We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said Thursday as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill. Blumenthal said Friday that he wrote to the Federal Aviation Administration , Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Defense “sharing his concerns regarding the recent reporting of drone activity in the New England airspace, including Connecticut, and requesting a briefing on how the agencies’ plan to address safety and security concerns.” “The proliferation of reported drone activities in this region raises significant safety and security concerns for both commercial and private aviation as well as national security concerns,” Blumenthal wrote, according to a statement. “Incidents involving drones interfering with aircraft operations have increased, posing a real and substantial risk to passengers, crews, and others in the vicinity. And, I am particularly concerned about the potential for these unmanned aerial vehicles – many of which are as large as a car— to disrupt air traffic and, more alarmingly, to be used maliciously to threaten national security.” People in the New York region are also concerned that the drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines, Blumenthal said Thursday, demanding more transparency from the Biden administration. Hwang said Friday, “What we have is a lack of information at all levels of government. It’s really a breakdown of communication. Without that vital communication, you lose the public’s confidence, you get speculation and you get fear.” “We must be proactive, not reactive. That requires full transparency, accountability, and honest public conversations to arrive at a resolution and a plan to deal with this immediately,” he said. “To ensure public safety and confidence, we need a threat assessment as soon as possible.” Fox News also reported, “Several drones were reportedly spotted in the skies above a Connecticut suburb Thursday night, adding to recent sightings that have perplexed residents and raised questions about possible national security and public safety concerns.” “We as lawmakers will continue to be in close contact with law enforcement officials to help get essential information to the public,” Hwang said. “It is critical that the FAA take immediate and comprehensive action to ensure the safety of the airspace. I therefore request that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provide briefing regarding a comprehensive plan, coordinated with interagency partners, on addressing these concerns. This briefing should cover all details available regarding these drones as to ownership, operation, impacts on aviation, national security, and privacy,” Blumenthal wrote. Higgins noted that drone operation “is regulated under federal law and users must comply with specific conditions. Commercial drone pilots must obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate. The Transportation Safety Administration is responsible for security at airports and the Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for the policies and regulations surrounding national airspace and aircraft to include airports.” He also said drones are considered aircraft. The White House said Thursday that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are manned aircraft being flown lawfully. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the U.S. Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels. “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. The Associated Press contributed to this post.